Key for keyboard-machines.



D. E FELT. KEY FOR KEYBOARD MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1910.

1L 1 9 1 4 2 E a o d m n e t a P L T E E H S T E B H 8 On a 7 .9 M M M dg 2 w 8 9 W /ow D. B. FELT.

KEY FOB. KEYBOARD MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED we. 22, 1910.

Patented Jan. 24, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Donn nixenimrnm, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

KEY FOR KEYBOARD-MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, Donn FELT, a citizen of'the United States, residingin 'Chica-go, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, have inventeda new and useful Inn provement in Keys for Keyboard-Machines, of whichthe following is a specificatiom' This invention relatesto theconstruction of the keys of calculating or other machines havingkeyboards whereby they are operated or controlled. It is desirable inoperating such'machinesthat the operator shall avoid depressing adjacentkeys with the key he with my Patent 1910.

wishes to operate, and to avoid mistakes of that kind has been theobject of the present invention, which is an improvement upon theconstruction disclosed in my pending application No. 553,364, filedApril 4, 1910.

The nature of my present improvement is fully disclosedbelow and alsoshown in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure lisa partiallongitudinal vertical section .of a comptometer having the improvementembodied therein. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. 'Fig. 3is a top view of one of the keys. Figs. 4; and 5 are sections on thelines 44 and 5-5 re s ectively of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a vertical sectionof a key and Fig. 7 is a partial view of. the releasing device detached.

I have shown the invention as applied to a comptometer constructedinaccordance No. 960,528 issued June 7,

.In' said drawing 7 represents one ofthe series of segment levers eachof which is adapted to be depressed by a series of keys such as thoseshown at 8', belonging to the same denomination as the lever. The levershown operates a pinion 9 and. through the intermediate pinion 10transmits'niotion to the numeral wheel 11 in the customary way.

' The stems of the keys extend to the bottom ad acent division plate 1The bars 15 are of the machine and are there provided with liftingsprings 12 by which -;they are returne to-normalposition after'eachactuation. At 13 isa locking bar extending longitudinally of thekeysembraced in the same denomination with the segment lever. Said bar issupported by pivots l t formed upon it and entered in cross bars15, andit swings upon its pivots and normally locks the keys in the samedenomination with it against op- 1 crating.v It is pressed toward itsoperating position by a sprin 16 secured to the Specification of LettersPatent. Application med August 22, 1910. Serial No. 578,305.

Patented J an. 24, 1911 supported by the same division plates.

There is one of these look bars for each denomination embraced in themachine as'will be ul'iderstood from Fig. 2, and they are adapted to beforced from their-acting position by the releasing device of the keys.

The keys are all alike in construction and the description of one willanswer as a description of all. The stems are each provided with lateralprojections 18 whereby they operate thecorresponding segment lever towhich they belong, and at the top they are provided with two outstandingwings? 19 the tops of which form a part-of the top of the key. and arearranged at a, level slightly below that of the depressible button 20 ofthe key releasing device which is positioned between them. The button issecured upon the top'end of a tube 21 containing a coiled spring whichis confined in said tube between the button at the top and a projection23 on the front of the key stem.

The tube ist'fpen on one side and has on one edge of its open side a proecting fiange 24, the lower end of which is beveled and acts as a cam toswing the locking bar 13 from itsprovided with a right angle shoulder at27 which is adapted to engage the top of the locking bar when that baris not swung outward by the releasin device, and of course when thisoc'cu es, the key cannot be operated.

The operat on of the device is as follows :.VVhen the operator presseson the key with his finger on the button, he depresses the button andthe tube, compressing the springin the tube, and causing the beveled cam24 of the tube to swingthe locking-bar outward from its acting positionso that the key is. released and free tofbe operated. If,

however, the operator fails to depress the button, his pressure on thewings at either' side will simply cause the key to descend until theshoulder 27 engages the lock bar as above stated.

It will be noted that the depressing button takes which the invention isintended to remedy occur more frequently at the sides of the keys thanthey doat the top or bottom. By thischange too I render the releasing ofthe key somewhat more sensitive than it is in the construction of myprevious application. I have also substituted locking devices which arecommon to all the keys of a denomination for the separate and individuallocking devices with which each key was provided in the previousapplication. It will also be noted, that the button 20 instead of beingdepressed below the wings 19, is elevated above those parts and is themost prominent part 01 the top, so that the operators finger if ittouches the key at all can hardly fail to operate the button. Thisfeature reduces the danger of the strokes being non-effective throughfailure to etlect the release of the keys.

I claim 1. The combination in the keyboard of a calculating or othermach ne of a denominational series of keys, a denominational lockingdevice for normally locking said keys and a device within each keyoperable by the finger of the operator when it strikes the key andacting to release said locking device.

,2. The combination ina keyboard machine, of a series of keys, meanscommon to the series for normally locking them, and a depressible devicewithin each key adapted to be-actuated with the key and acting torelease the lockin means.

3. The combination in a keyboard machine, of a series of keys, meanscommon to the series for normally locking them, and a depressiblereleasing device within each key for releasing the lock on the key, saiddevice projecting above the other parts of the key top.

4. The combinationiin the keyboard of a calculating or other machine, ofa series of keys and means for normally locking the same, each keyhaving at its top non-releasing side wings and a depressible releasingbutton between said wings, adapted to effect the release of the key.

5. The combination in the keyboard of a calculating or otherniachine, ofa series of keys and means for normally lockin the same, each key havingat its top unyie ding side wings and a depressible releasing buttonbetween said win s,adapted to effect the release of the key, said buttonbeing located at a higher level than the side wings.

6. The combination in the keyboard of a calculating or other machine,-of a series of keys and means for normally locking the same, each keyhaving at its top side wings which are unyielding, and a button betweensaid wings adapted to be depressed independently of the wings and actingto effect the release of the key.

DORR EUGENE FELT.

Witnesses J. C. NEvINs, S. C. BROWN.

